And Into The Forest I Go

On the outskirts of Barcelona is one of the largest peri-urban parks in the world: the wooded mountain range of Collserola. A place of escape but also a promised land, in the middle of the last century the first settlers arrived here escaping from their places of origin in search of a new opportunity, turning these mountains into a kind of “Catalan farwest”. Since then, many have ended up here, including the author, for very different reasons. But they all have something in common: they live among trees, immersed in the forest and in intimate relationship with it, so they have gradually domesticated it, modifying the territory to adapt it to their needs. The fact is that the proximity of the big city makes it easily accessible and therefore vulnerable. But the forest is powerful and has never ceased to exert invisible forces on its inhabitants, leaving its mark on both their homes and their spirit.